Fate Eternal Adventure
by Jarl of the North
Summary: Kariya Matou had victory within his grasp. The Grail stood before him, ready to grant his wish... but something was wrong. It heard his wish, deep within his heart, beneath his begging to help those he cared for; a wish for an ideal world. And so it granted his wish in the only way it could. But if the Grail destroyed the world... where the hell is Kariya now?
1. Prologue: An Ideal World

I do not own TYPE-MOON, Fate/Zero, Fairy Tail, or anything to do with any of the fields.

* * *

KARIYA MATOU

_I should have known something was wrong as soon as I had come into contact with the Grail._

_There I stood - the Grail shining before me, Berserker, helping Rider and his Master, the young magus Waver Velvet, with whom I'd alligned myself using promises - promises I knew I couldn't keep if I wanted to save Sakura - to gain their trust, finish off Saber somewhere nearby. That man, Emiya Kiritsugu, off fighting the priest, Kotomine Kirei - and Archer, standing in the corner as he stood over the woman's - Maya, I think was her name - dead body, smirking as he watched me reach out to touch the Grail. Why he made no move to stop me, I don't know - hell, with the position I'm in right now, floating in a seemingly endless oblivion, I'll probably never know - but at the moment, I didn't care. All that mattered was that my goal was finally in reach._

_All that mattered, in all that was happening, was the Grail._

_A thousand emotions tore at me in an endless storm as I reached out. As soon as I felt my hand come into contact with the object encased within the crimson light, I felt its power. Swelling, contracting, twisting, raging in an endless tide of unfathomable power. But there was something else, something that my emotion blotted out. Something horribly..._

_There's no real word to describe it._

_The only thing I can really say that even comes close is that, now that I can actually make out what it was... whatever it was, it was wrong. In every sense of the word, it was absolutely, horrifyingly _wrong.

_At the time, though, I paid it no attention. I merely focused all my thoughts on Sakura, on Zouken, on the entire Matou family. I thought of Aoi, Rin, and the Tohsakas. And I began begging, pleading to the Grail to help me save them, from their respective sufferings. To help me be the one they wanted, no, that they _needed_ me to be._

_I don't know what happened after that._

_I _do_ know, though, that whatever the Grail did, it didn't grant my wish._

_It began when the light intensified, shining brightly and getting in my eyes. I felt my emotions subside into three things._

_Anger. Anger at everything, at everyone that had caused this. That disgusting, hideous excuse of a father, Tohsaka Tokiomi; that Goddamn leech Zouken; the Matous in general, for allowing Zouken to twist them into the damn _puppets_ they were now._

_Sadness. Or, more specifically, loss. I had put _everything _into this. And until now, I'd gotten nothing, NOTHING in return._

_But above all, disgust. Disgust with the Tohsakas for allowing Zouken to take Sakura for his abhorrent needs. Disgust with Tokiomi, for even considering, let alone _ACCEPTING_ that monster's offer to adopt Sakura. Disgust with the magus community, with how low it had fallen, with how it writhed as the breeding ground for corruption it had become, how those arrogant, pompous asses, pathetic excuses for mages, really, managed to thrive while everyone else who actually wanted to work to make the world a better place withered and fell, their loss only further feeding the corruption the way a corpse served to feed a swarm of writhing maggots._

_These three emotions welled up inside of me, and I could _feel_ the Grail begin to pulse, as though it were excited, like it were some child that had just been set loose in a candy store._

_And then, everything just froze._

_Just like that. For God knows how long, everything just stopped, frozen in place, as though reality were nothing more than some kind of three-D art model. And then slowly, oh, so slowly, everything began to kick back into motion. Starting with the Grail. Its form literally rippled with power, pulsating, as though it were the heart of something so hateful and powerful it could - and would - wipe out everything in its sight._

_And then it tore itself - and the reality around it - apart, leaving sheer nothingness in its wake._

_I didn't even have the time for my shock to truly kick in beyond mild surprise, let alone react, before I found myself surrounded by pitch black._

_I felt my head whip about wildly as I tried to get a bearing on my surroundings. All around me, I saw people, people writhing in pain before crumbling to nothingness in the dark. Some lasted longer than others; Archer, stood, silent, merely gritting his teeth before falling into the dark; just falling, never crumbling, never unwinding like the others. From where the walls disappeared, I could see Rider and Waver, the former clutching his Master to his chest as though he were a child before they faded as well; I saw Saber, lashing out in agony, her sword flailing wildly before she disappeared. I saw Kiritsugu and Kotomine, blades locked against guns, each grating their teeth, their eyes squeezed shut as they too fell into the shadows. I even caught the slightest glimpse of Berserker, his helm gone, who returned my gaze with a look that was somewhere between bewilderment and pity, before he dissipated, leaving me all alone in the darkness.  
_

_I couldn't see._

_I couldn't hear._

_I couldn't even feel._

_..._

_No..._

_No, I could definitely feel something. The pulse of the darkness around me, like a black wave, convulsing every few pieces of a split second._

_As if it were laughing..._

_And even that faded as I, too, fell into the black._

_But even now, I couldn't help but still feel some semblance of something...  
_

_Not the anger._

_Not the sadness._

_Not even the disgust._

_It took me a few seconds to realize exactly what it was, but when I did, I was torn between shock and slight happiness._

_Hope._

_Stupid, childish, broken, beautiful, driven, wonderful hope. Hope for something better, even though I knew there was nothing left._

_If I could have, I would have chuckled as the feeling strengthened slightly, and the image of my ideal world came forwards in my mind. I imagined myself, sitting in the grass beside Aoi as I watched Rin and Sakura play together, the wind brushing lightly against my face, the sun shining brightly as Aoi smiled._

_A family..._

_My family._

_..._

_A fantasy. A childish fantasy that I knew could never be true._

_And yet, it felt so good..._

_The feeling strengthened again, stronger this time, and suddenly, the image shifted; it was still there, but it had changed. I was now sitting on a bench beside Aoi; there was a marketplace, with Rin and Sakura still playing, but they were playing alongside other children now. The people around all bustled about, smiling, chattering and laughing, and a happy tune wafted through the air on the breeze._

_The world as a town..._

_A representation of my ideal world, then?_

_Just another fantasy._

_So why did looking at this one feel even better than the last one?_

_The hope once again grew stronger, and the market was suddenly filled with fire. It didn't burn. It didn't destroy; it merely danced through the air, shaping into a dragon for an instant high above the crowd before exploding like a firework. The crowd cheered, Aoi lightly clapping, smiling brightly; Rin and Sakura were laughing, asking a young man with pink, spiky hair and teal eyes to do it again, only getting a childish grin in response. It was then that out of the crowd, more explosions sounded, sending more works into the air; light blue sculptures of ice, flew around like discs, chilling the air slightly before exploding in a similar manner to the dragon from before. Waves of golden light, exploding into stars; swords, dancing through the air with swift precision, gleaming brightly in the sunlight; and countless other works, something different from many different people within the crowd, though aside from these, there was nothing to really tell them apart from everyone else, and no matter how great or how minor it was, everyone gave an equal amount of cheering and clapping. _

_I tried to blink, somewhat bewildered and more than a little confused by what I was seeing.  
_

_It took me an instant to realize what this one was._

_What place magic took in my ideal world. Open to anyone and everyone who was willing to put the time and energy in to learn it, with nothing, not even blood or skill, making a distinction of who was higher than who._

_A world where magic or not, everyone was an equal._

_Easily the most childish of my fantasies._

_But also among the most comforting. Right up there with my dream of being a family with Aoi, Sakura and Rin._

_At this point, the hope was so great, I thought it was going to make me burst; but I didn't care. Rather, I reveled in it, enjoying it._

_Even if I was lost in darkness, I'd still have my fantasies. And the hope that came with them._

_..._

_'If I'm lost in the dark, though..._

_'Why do I feel a breeze?'_

_I stiffened at my own musings, pausing for a moment, waiting to see if I would feel it again._

_Nothing._

_'Weird... I could have sworn I felt something...'_

_My musings were once again interrupted by a sudden tug. A tug on my spirit, my soul. At first, I was able to ignore it. Then it grew stronger, and something began to emerge from the shadows. A hole in the black fabric of the nothing.  
_

_A light in the dark._

_Without so much as thinking, I stopped fighting. Rather, I let the tugging lead me, and the light grew progressively brighter and brighter, closer and closer..._

* * *

And then the darkness was gone. Replaced by a bright blue shell, a white glow dominating its center.

I blinked, long and slow, waiting for something to drag me back down into the dark. When nothing happened, I let out my breath, taking in another as though I hadn't breathed properly in years.

'Okay... I feel things, so that's something... if this is a dream, it's awfully vivid to be a normal one...'

The next thing I heard not only broke my train of thought; it nearly put me out of commission all together, the volume nearly deafening me and the abruptness just about giving me a heart attack.

"Hey, white-haired guy! Are you alright?!"


	2. A Bittersweet Meeting

I do not own TYPE-MOON, Fate/Zero, Fairy Tail, or anything to do with any of the fields.

* * *

NATSU DRAGNEEL

The day was fairly normal for me so far, considering I was heading back to the Guild after a mission. Other than the fact that Lucy had decided to come with me and Happy on this mission, things had gone fairly smoothly, aside from the fact that we didn't actually finish the job, and therefore couldn't claim the reward money. While Happy and I weren't bothered by the results in the slightest, Lucy had grumbled about it for a bit, and the couple that had hired us seemed reluctant to let us go without the reward. But like I said, it wasn't like we could just take the money; we hadn't destroyed the sparkly book they wanted gone so badly. Therefore, the money wasn't ours to take, and no matter how much people pestered me about it, I was not going to take money that wasn't mine.

Besides, from the smell of them, the couple needed the money more than what we did.

Now, only one small problem remained.

"'I don't know about this guys, are you sure we're going the right way?' she asks."

I didn't turn around to face the clock-thing Lucy had brought out using one of her keys, merely continuing to wade through the swampy water of the jungle, "Happy says that this is the way home, so this is the way we're going, is what I answer."

"Have some faith!" Happy piped up from his position on my head, smiling brightly, his blue fur catching the light, the green satchel that had been tied around his neck swinging about slightly, "I'm a cat! I have a great sense of smell! My nose will lead us home."

"'It's dogs that have have great noses. And what does smell have to do with direction?' she asks quite haughtily."

I rolled my eyes, giving my head a light shake as the ground beneath me began to slope upwards, and before long, we were done wading through the grungy water. I turned my head to look at Lucy through the glass of her clock-summon thingy, her own brown eyes meeting my own, her long blond hair, tied on one side, flashing brightly in the sun as I spoke, "why don't you do your own walking for a while?"

"'Because I'm tired,' she groans exhaustedly," the clock's deadpan expression never once changed as it relayed her words.

"Oh, brother," I sighed, shaking my head again. I then perked up, an unfamiliar scent waving through the air. Faint, dispersed... but foul. Bordering on utter disgust.

"'Natsu? What is it?' she inquires quite worriedly," I spared a glance at Lucy, somewhat caught off guard by the concern that had crossed her face.

I glanced up at my passenger, who was also suddenly on high alert, "you smell that, Happy?"

"I do," he sniffed, "I don't like it. Whatever it is, it's weak... but it's definitely not a good smell. I can tell that much just from here."

I nodded, then picked him up off my head, placing the cat on the ground, "I'm going to go check it out. It's not strong, but it isn't that far off, either," I turned, and began walking into the underbrush, my hands already coursing with power, ready to ignite at a moment's notice.

As I made my way through the growth, I could feel the scent get progressively stronger as I neared its source, and could barely withstand the need to wretch, both from the stench and from what it implied.

There were two scents, emanating from the same source. The first wasn't that remarkable - smelled like any other person, aside from the usual changes that made it unique from everyone else, really - but the other scent was just... revolting. Like rotting flesh, filled with eagerly writhing worms...

That is, if the worms had been created from the most hateful crap you could dig up from a murderer's heart.

I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I knew enough to tell one of two things. Whatever the scent led to, it was still alive. And the second scent was something it shouldn't have. Something that fed on whatever the first scent was, like some kind of evil tapeworm.

Immediately, my right hand ignited, the crackle of flame and the smell of smoke a small comfort as I continued through the bushes. I raised my right hand as I pushed through a final set of leaves and into a clearing-

-only to blink, somewhat confused by the person before me.

He lay on his back on the ground, staring up at the sky through the hole in the jungle roof. If he'd been standing, he would have been of average height, though it was clear that even laying on the forest floor he was easily taller than I was by several inches. His clothing was absolutely filthy and ragged with tears, and aside from that, was... odd, to say the least - a gray-navy blue hooded coat with no zipper hung on his torso, hiding his figure and build beneath its folds. His pants were of a similar colour, and his shoes were of a design I'd never seen before - dark blue with white lining and designs across it, with strings tied across the top. What caught me off guard though was his head; or more precisely, his face. Capped by unkempt hair that was white - not gray with age, as he only appeared to be in his mid twenties, but stark white - of moderate length, his face nearly made me shudder with some mix of pity and horror. The right side of his face seemed normal, a dark brown eye staring up at the sky, unfocused as he blinked. The left side, however, was scarred and disfigured nearly beyond recognition, the veins bulging out slightly, visible tears and ruptures in the skin along them, as though something had tried to rip itself out or squeeze its way through a passage that was simply too small for it, confirming my suspicions that a parasite of some kind was involved. An eye of ice blue, completely unfocused and nearly unblinking, stared into empty space, glazed over slightly, confirming that he was at least halfway blind.

He proceeded to lay there, blinking with his good eye at the sky above him, the fingers of his right hand clenching and unclenching without issue, the fingers of his left clearly having some issue in following suit. After about a minute, he let out a breath, then drew one in, as though it had been knocked from him or as though it had been the first breath of fresh air he'd had in weeks. In, then out again. In, and out.

Finally, I decided to break the silence. I took a step forwards, clearing my throat, "hey, white-haired guy! Are you alright!?"

Immediately, he bolted upright where he sat, his gaze sweeping the area for an instant before he grimaced in pain, grabbing at his left arm, his teeth grit and his eyes screwed shut, something a cross between a growl and a whimper escaping his throat. Then, he slowly managed to turn in my direction, his good eye fixing on me. His face - the good half of it, anyways - changed from pained to simply shocked, his mouth hanging open slightly as he stared at me.

One second passed...

Two.

Three.

"Ummm..." I glanced at the flame in my hand, then clenched my fist, extinguishing it. I then knelt down, holding my hand out to him, "are you alright?"

He stared at my hand for a moment before looking me right in the eyes, as though trying to tell if I was tricking him. He then took my hand, wincing slightly as I helped him to his feet. He was silent for another moment before finally speaking, "yeah. I'm... I'm okay," he huffed, rubbing at his left arm, "I just thought I recognized you from somewhere."

Another short silence.

"Well, you don't_ smell_ okay," I crossed my arms, feeling my eyebrows furrow slightly.

He blinked, obviously caught off guard, "smell?"

"Yeah. You smell awful. Diseased, even," I reasoned, "correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time I checked, 'diseased' and 'okay' did _not_ fit in the same category."

He scratched at his chin in thought, allowing his left arm to once again fall limp by his side. It was only now that I noticed the bloody crimson tattoo on his right hand - a trio of thick, arcing lines, shaped into a jagged spiral, the lines tapering as they reached into the center and edges of the spiral design they created. I blinked, studying it before he finally moved his hand, scratching at the back of his head, chuckling nervously, "I suppose you have a point there."

I put my hands behind my head, sighing, "so... have you gone to get it checked out?"

His face became an emotionless mask, his eye hardening with an icy glare that even Gray would envy as his arm flopped down to his side, "can't."

I blinked, confused, "what the hell do you mean, you can't?!"

He crossed his arms as best he could, "it's personal."

I blinked again, "you mean you can't afford it?"

"Personal," he grunted again, looking away.

Another quick silence before I sighed, shaking my head, "alright. I get it," I bit at my lip slightly, "from the look of you, you haven't been anywhere actually clean in weeks," his gaze fell on me again, "you have anywhere to go?"

He stood for a minute, silent, before finally turning his gaze away again, his breath escaping him in a single gust, "no."

I nodded, "that settles it, then," I turned, and began walking, "come on. I know a place you can stay at for a while."

When he didn't follow me, I blinked again, turning to face him. His eye had once again hardened with that frozen glare, his posture tense as he gripped at his arm and shifted his weight to his right leg, as though expecting a fight. I blinked, "something wrong?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" he hissed.

I blinked again, "say what?"

"Give me a reason to go with you," he rasped, the glare in his eye slowly transforming from icy to outright crazed, "prove to me you won't use me, the way every other magus I've ever trusted has!"

'Okay, this guy's _definitely_ not a people person,' I noted mentally, before piping up, "what do you mean, trick you?"

"Magi are all the same!" he spat, "all of you - stupid, arrogant, pompous asses who aren't afraid to use anyone and everyone for their own gain!" he pointed at my right hand, "I saw that flame you made earlier, so don't deny that you're a magus!" he seethed, and I swear, the veins on the left side of his face swelled slightly, twisting, writhing - as though something on the inside were burrowing through his body beneath the skin, "I won't go with you. Not until you prove to me that you're different from other magi!"

"What the hell do you mean, all magi are like that!?" I hollered, "aren't all people different from one another, magic or not!?"

"Say what you want," he spat again, "I've met a lot of magi in my day, and so far, not one of them has proven otherwise! Unless you can prove to me that you're different, you can burn in hell with the rest of them for all I care!"

I bit at my lip slightly again. This guy had definitely had a bad experience with magic if he was going to throw all people who practiced magic into a single category like that. I watched him turn to walk away, then rushed forwards as soon as I heard his groan of pain, catching and steadying him just before he fell. He tried to push me away, but I held on, easily ignoring his weak attempts to force me off of him, "you shouldn't push yourself like that. You're only going to hurt yourself."

He snorted, once again trying to push me away as I glanced down at his leg. It had been twisted at an awkward angle, visible even through his pants - obviously broken at some point, and never treated properly. I glanced up at him, then shifted so that his arm was over my shoulders, allowing him to lean on me, "I don't care what you think of me right now. The simple fact is that you need to get treated, and you need to do it as soon as you can," I grunted, cutting off whatever protest he may have made, "if I have to beat you senseless and then take you back, then that's what I'll do. But I'm taking you back to the Guild to get treated, and that's final."

He was silent as I began walking, supporting his weight as he reluctantly followed. Finally, he piped up, significantly calmer, "Guild? You mean... there's more of you?"

I blinked, "of course there is! I'm a wizard! You can't be a wizard unless you're a part of a Guild!"

I looked at him as best I could, the awkward angle making it a bit difficult. His expression was... pensive, and more than a little worried, as though he'd never even heard this before. I piped up, trying to break the awkward silence, "so... you have a name?"

Another short silence passed before he finally answered, "Kariya."

"Kariya?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Hadn't heard a name that weird since the Guild Master's.

"That's right," he nodded, "my name... my name is Kariya Matou."

I blinked, then grinned, "well... even if we didn't exactly start out on the right foot, it's nice to meet you, Kariya," I turned my attention back to the road, "my name's Natsu Dragneel. And I'm a wizard of the Fairy Tail guild."

At the word wizard, I felt his body tense, though I didn't pay it any attention, merely focusing on getting back to the others so we could all head home.

* * *

I'm sorry Natsu's so OOC in this chapter... he's a hard character for me to write. I'll try to get this fixed once I'm further in. For now, maybe I should just stick with Kariya's POV... Anyways, my guess for Natsu's OOCness here is that Kariya's scent (or, more accurately, the scent of the Crest Worms) put the young Dragon Slayer on edge, making him unconsciously approach the situation with a bit more tact that usual. Probably no excuse though...


	3. Meet the Guildmaster

I do not own TYPE-MOON, Fate/Zero, Fairy Tail, or anything to do with any of the fields.

* * *

KARIYA MATOU

It didn't take long for Natsu to lead me out of the underbrush and onto a path, where I was greeted by on of the most bizarre things I'd ever seen.

Standing in the middle of the road sat some kind of... clock, I guess, its face - yes, face - was expressionless, its eyes closed. Where the hands of a clock should have been, they stuck out on either side across its face like some kind of lopsided mustache. Its body was shaped like an ornately carved grandfather clock, with a pair of seemingly featureless arms sticking out of either side of its body. On its head sat a cat - a cat with blue fur, a white belly, and an abnormally large head, a bag of some kind tied around its neck, its expression (seriously, I've heard of smiling cats before, but the fact that this one could pull faces was just ridiculous in my book) one of mild concern, which quickly evolved into shock as it caught sight of me and the young magus who supported me.

"Natsu!" the cat shouted, its voice high pitched and almost childish, leaping off the clock, and, to my even greater shock, sprouting bright white wings, soaring over to the pink-haired teen.

"'Oh, my god,'" the clock intoned, its voice monotone, as though out of spite for what it was saying, "'is he alright, Natsu!?' she inquires desperately."

I blinked, staring at the clock thing as Natsu began exchanging words with the cat. It took me a few seconds to notice what it contained; behind the glass of the clock door, sat a young woman, about the same age as Natsu, her chocolate brown eyes shining with concern as she fixed her gaze on me. Her hair was a bright blonde in colour, almost reflective it was so bright, tied to the side by a blue ribbon; she wore something similar to a schoolgirl uniform, with a dark blue skirt, black leather boots that reached up almost to her knees, and a vest that hugged her figure, a bright white in colour with light blue trim. Her complexion was light, but not outright pale, and a whip hung from her waist from where she sat inside the clock.

For a long few seconds, all I could do was stare, tuning the rest of the world out like an idiot.

"Oi, Kariya! Earthland to Kariya!"

I blinked again, shaking my head hard as Natsu finally caught my attention. I let out a ragged breath as I glanced at him, "y... yeah?"

It was then that the cat finally decided to get acquainted with me, getting right up in my face. I pulled back as far as I could, startled, gritting my teeth in pain as my arm and shoulder acted up again, even as the cat began sniffing at me, its nose wrinkling in something close to disgust.

"He reeks," the cat managed, circling me, "like... like... I don't even know how to describe it. I just know that it isn't good."

"I know, Happy," Natsu nodded "but that doesn't matter right now," he turned to the clock - or, more accurately, the girl inside of it, "hey, Lucy, would you mind switching places with Kariya for a bit? He isn't that heavy, but I have a feeling he shouldn't be moving around. He's... well, look at him."

I looked away as the girl - Lucy's gaze fell on me again, her expression one I'd never seen on a magus - utter, selfless concern. There was a few seconds silence before I heard the distinct click of an opening door, and the creak of swinging hinges. I risked a glance, and saw Lucy step out of the clock, dusting herself off slightly before looking me in the eye. She gestured, "alright, Kariya. Get inside. We'll get you somewhere you can actually get attention."

I looked from her, to Natsu, to the cat - Happy - and I instinctively knew that there was no use arguing. With Natsu's help, I settled into the inside of the clock, and as soon as the door had closed, a gentle rocking began to jostle me around slightly - not violently, but enough for me to feel it.

I sighed, then felt myself begin to contort, coughing for a few solid minutes, flecks of spittle and blood staining my hoodie from where I'd used it as a handkerchief. Huffing, I cursed my weak physical condition before I caught a glimpse of bright crimson on the back of my right hand. Bringing it into the light, I felt my breath hitch as the familiar etching seared itself into my brain.

My Command Seal.

It was still intact. Completely intact on the back of my hand.

I sat there for a long few minutes, silent, then began to let my mind wander. If I could still summon Berserker... would I be able to get away?

I felt myself wretch, then begin to hack violently again, as though my body itself were rejecting the very thought. As soon as it calmed, I breathed, deeply, slowly, trying to get it back under control.

Considering how much prana Berserker took when he fought, it probably wasn't a good idea to try summoning him. At least, not at the moment.

I sighed one more time, then leaned back against the wooden wall of the clock.

I was asleep within minutes.

* * *

By the time I woke up, I was laying on my back, staring up at a set of wooden beams that served as rafters. Beneath me, the soft, familiar, and yet long forgotten comfort of an actual bed caressed my form, the blanket pulled up to my neck. The chirping of birds echoed lightly from outside the window, and the bright sunlight of a new day poured into the room through the glass, its brilliance sending chills down my spine.

Unwilling to shift my head from its comfortable spot on the pillow, I took in as much of the room as I could; from what I could see, I was in something similar to a hospital room, with several empty beds in rows against the walls. The air was tinged with the scent of cut wood - oak, perhaps? - and something else in the air... flowers?

Ah, who cares? The point is, it smelled nice.

For a time, I just laid there, enjoying the peaceful quiet that accompanied the smell. Eventually, though I heard a distinctive click, followed by a voice, belonging to that of an elderly, yet extremely lively sounding man, "ah... so you're finally awake."

I finally turned my head to the side to look to the edge of the room, in the direction of the sound. Standing in the now-visible and now-open doorway was a rather short man with a head that seemed far too large for his body; not much larger than a six year old child, he was also dressed in a rather childish manner, wearing a hat that stuck out behind his head in a pair of antenna-like appendages, striped with a simple pattern of revolving bright orange and blue. He wore a hoodie that was the same shade of orange as the colour of his hat, with bright blue trim on the edges, and a white shirt underneath, an oddly shaped black symbol emblazoned across it; it reminded me vaguely of a dragon or a fairy, with a rounded head with several spikes on the back, and an arched back that extended out into a tail. At the bottom, it stuck out in some kind of spiked... leg? And its belly was rounded to the curve of the back of the symbol, giving the outline an impression that implied that whatever was beneath the black, it was rather slender. His pants were also bright orange, cut off at the ankle by a pair of dark brown leather clogs. Around the back of his head, bright white hair wrapped around it like a wreath of laurels, before mixing with the thick mustache that completely covered his upper lip. Appearance-wise, he didn't seem much older than sixty, and though his eyes were closed, his expression radiated kindness and warmth that I had rarely seen in any person aside from Aoi.

He slowly walked forwards into the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Finally, he opened his eyes, dark teal orbs that alone spoke not only of kindness, but wisdom well beyond the man's years. When he finally stood beside my bed, he struggled for a few seconds to hop up into the chair that was set up beside my bed. When he finally got settled, he fixed his gaze on me.

For a long few minutes, neither of us spoke.

"I trust you're feeling at least a little better?" he asked.

I smiled softly, "I had a better sleep than I've had in months, if that's what you mean."

He responded with a smile of his own, "that's good."

Another short silence passed.

"Natsu told me that when he found you, you looked like you'd been dragged through hell and back by a train," he stated, "and now that I've gotten a good look at you, I can see why he said that. And why Mirajane was so concerned about you after she'd gotten you into bed."

I blinked, my smile fading as I struggled to remember, "Natsu... Natsu..." my mind literally clicked a few seconds later, "oh... right. Natsu. The pink-haired mage."

The old man nodded, and I sighed, rolling my head back upright to stare at the ceiling. It wasn't long before another question rang in my ears, "you aren't a very talkative person, are you?"

"No comment," I grunted, trying to make my voice as deadpan as possible.

He chuckled, "well, it's good to know you have a sense of humor."

I felt my smile return, "same here. I thought I'd lost it somewhere."

The chuckle turned into a full-blown set of laughter, the old man thumping his fist on the arm of his chair before he finally fell silent again, the air filled with silent mirth. His voice reverted to a more serious tone shortly after, however, "what were you doing in the middle of the forest, anyways?"

I gave a nervous chuckle of my own, once again craning my neck to look at him, "I'm not that sure, to be perfectly honest."

He raised an eyebrow, "you were lost?"

I blinked, feeling my eyebrows furrow in thought as I looked away. I soon met his gaze again, smiling nervously, "yeah, let's go with that," I felt my smile fade as something else occurred to me, "say... just wondering, where exactly am I? And who are you?"

The old man chuckled again, "well... Kariya, was it?"

I nodded, "Natsu..."

He nodded, "yes. Natsu told me, Kariya," he stood, smiling brighter than ever before, "who am I? That is simple. I am the current master of the Fairy Tail Guild in the city of Magnolia, Makarov Dreyar," he gripped the sides of his hoodie, and pulled them apart, fully exposing the symbol on his shirt, "as for where you are, Kariya... you are in the infirmary of Fiore's greatest Wizard Guild. The Fairy Tail Guild."

I felt my eyebrows furrow and my lips curl downwards at the word "Wizard", the air dropping several degrees, all the mirth gone, the tension increasing several times over. Makarov's smile lessened considerably as he met my gaze, until it was completely gone, letting go of the sides of his jacket and allowing it to fall back into place, "Kariya? Is there something wrong?"

I tore my gaze away from him, "no."

While I could no longer see him from my position, I could hear his voice grow stern, "Kariya... please don't lie to me."

"I said it's nothing," I grunted.

A short silence, and I felt his small hand pat my arm, "it has something to do with your current condition, doesn't it?"

I didn't answer, opting to stare out the window at the sky. I heard the sheets ruffle as the blanket was pulled away, exposing the right side of my chest and my arm.

"Hm..." I heard him mumble, "the right side of your body seems well enough, aside from obvious malnutrition... though this mark on your right hand worries me a bit," he tapped my hand, and I instinctively clenched it, "it isn't any Guild mark I've ever seen... and it has powerful magic worked into it. One of the most powerful enchantments I've ever seen."

Rather than prying at what it was, he left the subject at that, obviously sensing the spike of tension in the room as soon as the topic came up. Rather, he walked around to the other side of the bed, and pulled the sheets away, exposing me completely. As soon as he got a good look at the left side of my body, he recoiled, his teeth grating against one another. Finally, he ran his hand along my face, my arm, and down my leg, his eyes narrowing further and his jaw tightening with every line he traced. Eventually, he met my gaze again, enraged fire burning in his eyes, "who did this to you?"

I blinked, studying his expression. There was no sense of pride or disdain in his eyes or expression; only anger. He spoke through teeth that formed an impenetrable wall, "Kariya... I won't ask again. Who did this to you?"

I remained silent, trying to compose my thoughts. When I finally did, I met his gaze, "why?"

He closed his own eyes, obviously trying to calm himself enough to speak rationally. When his breaths finally slowed, he opened them again, something new glinting in his eyes. It wasn't pity; far from it... it wasn't just anger either. Was it... sympathy?

"Kariya," he stated, calmly, slowly, "I can tell just from looking at you that you dislike Wizards. Perhaps even magic in general. And that whatever your reasons are, they are directly linked to your wounds," he put his hand on my left arm, which instinctively twitched, the worms within writhing at his touch, as though trying to get away from him. His eyes narrowed again, but he didn't start again, only continuing, "whatever magic did this to you is obviously some kind of Lost Magic of the most evil variant," he lowered his gaze slightly, "someone who would use something this... inhumane can't possibly be in their right mind," he raised his head, looking me dead in the eye, "I can't allow someone like that to run amok, Kariya. It's sick, it's inhumane, and it's evil."

I blinked, shocked by the sincerity of his words more than anything else. I studied his face, his eyes; not once throughout that entire explanation did he so much as give the impression that he was lying, or even faking me out. He clasped my hand, and the worms within seemed to squeal, trying to wriggle away, but to no avail, "so please, Kariya... tell me who did this to you."

I sighed, staring up at the ceiling again. I waited a long full minute before responding, "I... it's... it's personal," I managed, raising my left arm as much as I could, "I... I can't just go telling everyone I meet about this. I just can't."

Makarov nodded slowly, "you don't trust me."

I stared at him grimly, "no. I don't."

Another short silence passed through the room like a ghost. Finally, Makarov released my hand, "well... I hope we can change that," he sighed, stretching his limbs.

I nodded, then moved to get up, wincing with every movement. He caught me out of the corner of his eye, and pointed at me, his voice stern as he spoke, "don't you try to move around, Kariya. Your body has already been wrecked by overexertion, on top of whatever is tearing you apart. You need rest, and some actual treatment. I'm trying to contact an old friend of mine - she should be able to get you back on your feet before long - but she rarely deigns to leave her hut at all," he turned to me, "should I have anything sent here for you? Something to eat?"

I gaped, then shook my head, "no. I don't think I could afford it-"

He raised a hand, cutting me off, "don't worry about how much it costs," he stated, "as far as I'm concerned, you need it, so it's free."

I stared at him, my eyes narrowed, though he took no notice as he finished, "though if you feel you must pay, we can put it on your tab for you to pay once you're well enough to get a job."

I continued to stare, then sighed, laying back down on the bed and pulling the covers back up on my body, "no, thank you."

He nodded, "alright," he turned, "if you want to leave your room, you're free to use the crutches," he pointed, and for the first time, I noticed the set of wooden crutches set against the wall close to my bed, "I'd have let you use a wheelchair, but the last one we had was broken recently and we're still trying to find a new one, so..."

I raised a hand, "don't worry about it."

He nodded again, "if you're worried about your clothes, they've been washed; they'll be brought here once they've finished drying," he once again turned to leave the room, but kept his gaze on me, "you have free reign of the Guild while you're here, except for the second floor. I only have three rules; one, don't go up to the second floor. Most of the mages here aren't allowed, and I can't make any exceptions. The fact that you're not actually a part of the Guild makes this even more prominent; so please, don't go up to the second floor. Rule number two; don't do anything that will put a strain on your body. And rule number three," he stared at me, his eyes solid as stone, "do not leave the Guild. At least not without an escort. You're new here, and will at least need someone to show you around. Can't have you getting lost again."

I let out a mirthless chuckle as he finally left, sinking back into the covers as the door clicked shut. I stared up at the ceiling one last time before raising my right hand, staring at my Command Seal.

I had a lot to figure out. Where I was, who these people were, whether or not I could trust them...

More questions than I could be bothered to remember.

'But at the moment, they don't matter,' I decided simply, rolling over and pressing the side of my face into the pillow, 'all that matters is...'

I was back asleep before I could even finish my thought.


	4. The Fairy Tail Guild

I do not own TYPE-MOON, Fate/Zero, Fairy Tail, or anything to do with any of the fields.

* * *

KARIYA MATOU

I grunted as I shifted my weight, using the bed for support as I slowly managed to pull my arms into the hoodie, wincing slightly with every movement. The pain of even moving was enough to make me hesitate to even get out of the bed; but still, I managed working my way through until I finally managed to poke my head out of the top.

"Okay..." I huffed slightly, trying to take my mind off my aching body by glancing about. When I finally caught sight of the crutches that were leaned against the wall, I smiled. Hopefully that would take most of the bite out of the pain.

I stood unsteadily, limping over to the crutches and taking the first one, hooking it under my right arm and leaning on it, allowing it to take the weight off of my leg. I felt my smile widen slightly with satisfaction, then reached for the other one as best as I could with my injured arm.

As soon as I extended my arm, I wrenched it back, cringing as I felt the pain rip up and down through the bone and muscle. I glared at it as the veins bulged momentarily in my hand, then sighed as the worms within settled down, "oh, well... I think one should be good enough anyways."

My ear would have twitched if it could as the door opened behind me. My interest piqued, I turned around as best I could on the crutch, blinking rapidly when I saw my visitor.

She was of about average height, and was no older than her late teens or early twenties. Her long white hair cascaded down her back in a seemingly snowy waterfall, and her bangs were tied up atop her head so they wouldn't get in her face. Her skin was pale, and her... um... voluptuous... figure was emphasized by the long crimson dress that she wore, with bright pink edging and trim. Her eyes, dark blue as the ocean on a starry night, glinted in the sunlight like gems, and as soon as her eyes met mine, I swear her face fell for an instant, as though out of pity, before brightening back up like a light bulb, her smile containing all the innocent joy of a newborn puppy as she spoke, "ah! So you're awake!"

I felt my smile return, unable to fight back against the sheer positivity this young woman seemed to radiate, "yeah. Guess I got tired of just laying around."

She literally beamed at me, putting me even further off guard than before. She then walked up to stand beside me, "Kariya... right?"

I nodded, and her smile continued to brighten. Seriously, how happy could one person be? "I'm Mirajane, but most people just call me Mira. Would you like some help?"

I shook my head, "n... no thanks. I'm fine on my own... Mira," the name came off my tongue weird, but if she noticed, she didn't show it, only nodding in acknowledgement. I glanced about again before my eyes landed on the open door, "though I wouldn't mind being shown around..."

She followed my gaze, then nodded, "of course!" she started towards the door, gesturing for me to follow. As soon as she noticed how slowly I moved in comparison, though, she immediately slowed her pace, waiting for me to catch up before walking out into the hall beyond.

The first thing I noticed was the smell. While the nice scent of freshly cut wood was still heavily prominent here, several new smells wafted through the air into my nose. The first and foremost being the smell of alcohol; the smell of fine wines and strong ale alike hung in the air like a heavy musk. While it wasn't necessarily unpleasant, as it wasn't overly strong, just enough to make it clear that this place was a bar as well as a gathering place for... wizards... it still worried me. A lot of the time, anger went along with drinking. And with anger, comes violence. The fact that this was a place that wizards would cluster together in large groups only seemed to amplify my anxiety.

So imagine my surprise when the sound of hearty laughter rang in my ears throughout the whole hall, rather than arguing and a torrent of tension.

The other smells were the smell of the smoke that billowed out from somewhere in the back (cooking?), and the slight scent of oil - from the unlit lamps, maybe? Anyway, it doesn't matter.

What does matter, though, is that the entire room was packed with the absolute weirdest crowd I'd ever seen.

Oh, yeah, I'd seen some weird people - hell, I don't have much room to talk, now that I think about it - but to see this many people, all so completely different from one another, all in the same room, chatting without a care in the world? It was unheard of to me. Scattered in groups that sat at tables that were spread out all across the floor, standing around, or sitting at the bar that dominated the back of the room, just before a staircase that led to some kind of balcony, the only thing that any of these people had was the same mark that Makarov had on his shirt, tattooed somewhere on their bodies or sewn into their clothes. One of them, dressed in some kind of skintight bodysuit, was slowly making their way around the room in some kind of dance that had no rhyme or reason to it. Another was a rather tall young man of tanned complexion, dressed in a black vest, a black fur kilt held in place by a belt of fake skulls, and a rather stupid looking bowl haircut, standing near board near the back of the room that was covered in paper. Another sat at the bar, barely into his late teens and stirring the drink in his glass with his finger, his spiky black hair cut short, his dark eyes wandering the room, and oddly enough was dressed only in a pair of black shorts and a silver necklace, complete with a cross-shaped ornament. Oh, and he had a dark blue version of the symbol tattooed onto the right side of his chest.

There was a giant of a man with tan skin and spiky white hair, who was dressed like your typical Japanese bouncer, with the word "manly" etched in kanji into the back of his dark blue jacket, a jagged scar overrun with stitches running down from his right eye...

A woman who sat on one of the tables, her long brown hair flowing down her back as she lifted the massive barrel at her feet to her lips, dressed in little more than a swimsuit top and a pair of dark jeans...

Yep. Definitely the weirdest crowd I'd seen since... ever.

"This is the main hall of the guild," Mira stated, striding forwards into the room, "this is where most of the wizards who've joined will spend their time whenever they're not out on jobs."

I blinked, following her, "jobs?"

She glanced back at me, nodding, "yep. People from all over the country approach guilds with missions, either as individuals, on behalf of a group, or even on behalf of a government. There are all kinds of jobs available, with varying rewards based on how difficult the job is," she turned to me, pausing for a moment, frowning slightly, "you didn't know this?"

I shook my head, "no... but it sounds... unsavory," I shuddered, "the way this all sounds, guilds are just groups of mercenaries."

She blinked, then put a finger to her chin, staring upwards, chewing slightly at her lip. Then she nodded, "well... I would guess that is how some guilds operate, as mercenaries and only as mercenaries. But not Fairy Tail," her smile returned with full force, "to the people here, every single member is practically family," she gestured throughout the room to the other wizards, "ask any member of the guild. Every one of them will agree. Even if some of us lock horns with one another at times, well... who doesn't argue with others from time to time?"

It was my turn to blink again, severely taken aback, "you all... think of each other as family?"

She nodded, and as she turned around to continue towards the back, I couldn't help but smile softly.

If what she said was true...

Then I remembered Tokiomi, and Zouken. Mages, both true and potential, had been family to them. And they were betrayed, thrown away for power and meaningless goals.

Immediately, I felt my smile slip from my face, felt the worms begin to rouse from their slumber.

"Mira," I stopped, any mirth I might have had completely gone. She stopped in her tracks, and turned in place, a look of curiosity making itself prominent on her face. It quickly mixed with a look of concern as her gaze met mine, even as I spoke, "I need to know this. What would happen to a mage if they were to betray members of the guild?"

She blinked again, clearly caught off guard by the question. She closed her eyes, composing herself, her smile completely gone, "it would depend on the guild, the guild master, and the reason for the betrayal. I have no doubt that among the dark guilds, it wouldn't matter much. But in most guilds, unless a mage had a good reason and a very, very convincing argument, it would probably result in their expulsion from the guild," she opened her eyes again, "people have been kicked out of Fairy Tail before, for similar reasons. Of course, something like that hasn't happened in years, but it isn't impossible," her smile slowly returned, but it wasn't happy-go-lucky like before; it was calm, comforting in nature, "though you have to remember that with this bunch of wizards, that's about as likely as the oceans drying up."

I blinked, taken off-guard and my mind knocked off-balance once again by her words. This... this was alien to me. The idea of mages treating each other with that kind of regard and respect, and having that kind of punishment ready for those who didn't...

It was an utterly foreign idea.

Foreign... but comforting.

I felt my smile begin to creep back onto my face as I once again began to follow Mira, finally reaching the bar at the back of the room. She gestured for me to sit before walking around behind, and beginning to take the orders of the other people present at the wooden table. I quickly obliged, setting my crutch against the bar before carefully hefting myself up onto the stool. I sighed, leaning against the wood when a new voice rang in my ears.

"I recognize you," I turned my head, my eyes meeting with the black haired mage I noticed earlier, the one with the necklace and decided lack of clothing. He took a sip of his drink before continuing, his voice even, "you're the guy Natsu and Lucy brought earlier."

I nodded, still somewhat nervous and more than a little wary of the man before me, in spite of what Mira had said, "that would be me."

There was a short silence as we sized each other up, the man continuing to stir the drink in his glass, as though caught between pensiveness and curiosity. Finally, he decided to break the silence, extending his hand, "the name's Gray. I take it you're new here?"

I hesitated slightly before taking his hand, noting the comparative cold that ran through the appendage, "yeah, I'm new. I'm Kariya."

He gave my hand a tight squeeze before letting go, smirking slightly, "Kariya, huh? Weird name."

I gave him as deadpan a stare as possible, "considering you're named after a colour and that you're half naked, you don't have much room to talk."

He blinked, obviously confused by my observation. Then he looked down, and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he almost shrieked, "OH, GODDAMMIT! NOT AGAIN!"

He stood, and began bolting around the room like a maniac, as though searching frantically for something as he looked under tables, climbed the wooden beams that held up the ceiling, and even ran into the girl's washroom (proven not only by the sign, but by the loud feminine screams that emanated from the door mere seconds later, followed by Gray being booted out with the force of a cannonball).

I turned to Mira, who was smiling bright as ever as she observed the scene, my mouth hanging open as I pointed at him as best as I could, "what...?"

She chuckled, "that's Gray for you. He's an incredibly talented ice mage, but he has a bad habit of stripping, no matter where he is. He usually doesn't even notice until someone actually points out that he's taken his clothes off."

"... R... Right," I managed, then took the menu that Mira had offered me. While I had no intention of actually buying anything, I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at their selection.

As soon as I read off the first thing on the list, I knew that was a mistake.

My eye visibly twitched as I looked through the list, my stomach growling and my mouth watering ever more with every item I took in. I hadn't eaten solid food in weeks, and here was one of the largest and most delicious sounding selections I had ever seen, right in my hands.

I looked up at the ceiling, ready to start crying, "dammit, world... why must you torment me with money problems?"

Mira chuckled again, "didn't the master tell you earlier? Until your recovery is complete, everything on the menu is free."

I looked her right in the eye, "no. I couldn't possibly take advantage of your hospitality like that."

Her smile faded, and her voice turned stern as she pointed at me, "don't be so silly. You're not taking advantage of us. We are offering to help you, Kariya. You aren't taking advantage of us so long as we are willing to do so," she took out a small notebook, once again all smiles, "now... what would you like?"

I opened my mouth to argue when she tilted her head slightly, a menacing edge entering her voice, "just so you know... if you won't choose yourself, I can always choose for you."

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden chill that ran up and down my spine from her voice, then looked down at my menu again, trying to decide on what I'd like. When I finally placed my order, Mira smiled, writing it down in her book and walking back into where the kitchen evidently was without another word, without a care in the world.

It was then that another familiar voice decided to reach my ears.

"Hey, Kariya!" I felt someone throw their arm over my shoulder, and looked at the familiar face of Natsu as he grinned, leaning on the bar, "you're finally up!"

I allowed myself a smile after adjusting to his sudden presence, about to respond when Lucy's voice called out from behind us, "Natsu, get off of him. I'm sure he's happy to be up and out of bed and all, but I doubt he wants you in his face."

I turned to see the blonde walking up to us with purpose, a certain stripper in tow as he pulled a dark blue shirt down to his waist, and finished buckling the belt that kept his black jeans in place. He jibed, "yeah, especially considering how bad your breath is in the morning, flame brain."

"What'd you say, ice pick!?" Natsu shouted, turning to face him.

I put my hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down (after taking note of their suddenly very obvious rivalry), and looked back at Lucy, smiling softly, "it's alright. I'm feeling much better than I did before. All the same, I probably shouldn't be moving around too much."

Lucy returned my smile with one of her own, "that's good to hear."

Gray smirked again, and I couldn't help but stare as I noticed his clothes were once again gone from his body and nowhere in the vicinity. How the hell did he manage to lose his clothing so damn quickly?

"That probably means it's not a good idea to be hanging around Natsu. The idiot's infamous for the destruction he causes," Gray grinned.

Natsu's eye twitched, "like you're any better, Gray! Not only do you destroy towns on your jobs, you also wind up half naked in the middle of the job!" he gave an evil grin of his own as Gray's eyes narrowed, "or are all the fines you've gotten for public indecency just lies made up by the Council to get you in trouble?"

"Watch your mouth, dragon breath," the impromptu stripper sneered, "I can kick your ass any day and we both know it."

"You wanna get over here and say that to my face, slanty eyes!?"

"I'll do a lot more than that, droopy eyes! I'll introduce your face to my fist while I'm at it!"

With that, their "conversation" broke down into a series of childish (and usually nonsensical) insults... something that I had the feeling was quite common among those two. At that point, Mira had chosen to return, carrying a plate with her that was just heaped with food. Upon reaching us, she set it down in front of me, smiling brightly as she moved to take Lucy's order, as the young blonde had sat down beside me.

I raised my hand slightly to get her attention, and once I did, pointed at the arguing mages, "should we stop them before it escalates into a full-blown fight?"

She giggled as she glanced at the two, "oh, I wouldn't worry about it. There isn't really any point in stopping them."

One more familiar face decided to join us as Happy hopped up onto the bar, a fish in his paws. He munched on his prize absentmindedly as he watched the verbal battle, "Natsu and Gray argue like this pretty much on a daily basis, so there isn't really anything to worry about."

Lucy glanced back nervously, giving me the impression that she was just as worried as I was about this, and I couldn't help but shudder.

"Of course," Mira started, "even if they do start a fight, there wouldn't be much point in preventing it. It would be bound to happen sooner or later, no matter who caused it, so there isn't any point in trying to stop it before it happens."

I felt my eyes widen, "wait, what!?"

As if on cue, there was a loud crash, and I looked back just in time to see Natsu toss Gray into one of the tables that was just packed with people, spilling food and drink all over the floor, knocking the people there right onto their asses, and absolutely destroying the table. In response, Gray proceeded to pick up one of the chairs that had fallen over (with the person still in it), and hurl it with all his might, catching Natsu in the abdomen and knocking him into someone else, the white-haired giant from earlier.

From there, it was just pure chaos.

There were very few people who did not get wrapped up in the ensuing free-for-all. Just about everyone in the room who was not near the back was dragged into the cloud of dust and destruction that was the guild members, all of them fighting for the hell of it.

And amid the turmoil, I nervously dug into my meal, Lucy giving a frustrated sigh as she quickly followed suit once she received hers.

I glanced at her, "does this kind of thing happen a lot?"

She sighed again, "you have no idea. I only joined a couple of weeks ago, and this is the twelfth bar fight they've had since."

"... sounds like a rowdy bunch," I murmured.

"Trust me, it's probably better that they get it out of their systems here," Lucy stated as she swallowed another mouthful, "it's bad enough that they destroy local landmarks on their missions. If they had all the pent up energy that they use up in these fights while they were out on missions, they'd probably wind up destroying entire towns," she chewed thoughtfully for a moment, "not that it helps with Natsu. Gray's right about one thing; he's famous for destroying absolutely everything on missions. Or even just when he's traveling."

"... are you trying to scare me?" I asked.

She shook her head, "nope. Just stating the facts."

"... I see."

Lucy took a sip of her drink before giving me a smile, "then again, they're all wonderful people in their own ways, once you get to know them. They all care about one another, and are loads of fun to be around," she scratched at the back of her head, "they just don't always agree with one another is all. And a lot of them are too rowdy for their own good."

At that, I couldn't help but give another smile as I took another bite.

Maybe these people were different from the mages I'd known.

Then, something else caught my attention from in my own head. I swallowed quickly, then began, "hey, Mira..."

"Hm?"

"Would you mind explaining to me how the guild system works, and what the deal is with the magic council?" I asked. I had already guessed that the magic council here was different from the one I knew about; from what little I knew, the council that was in charge back home would _never_ stand for _any_ of this.

She smiled brightly again, "sure!" she pulled out something that looked like a cross between a marker and a flashlight, and to my amazement, began to write something out in the air, "the magic council, Era, is the most powerful organization in the magical world. It's only one step below the government," she paused for a moment to finish her diagram; at the top stood the government. Beneath that, was the magic council, Era, which was clearly far different from the one I knew. Beneath that, it branched into three separate areas, all three of which were titled "Local Guild Master League", which in turn led to several different boxes entitled "Guilds". She continued, "it has ten members, and it's their job to uphold all magical rules and regulations. If a wizard breaks magical law, they would be tried by the council."

I nodded, already noting key differences between the one I knew and the one I was in. For one thing, the one I'd known probably wouldn't bother trying mages that went rogue or broke the law, merely sending forth people to carry out the usual sentence - painful execution and a complete erasure of their research. This new one not only seemed keen on bringing people to justice in an efficient and fair way, but also seemed to be much less secretive - the whole guild thing was something the one back home would never stand for. In fact, they'd probably wipe out this whole damn country to keep the magical world secret, if it came to that. Here, the magical world seemed far more intertwined with the "regular" world than what it had been back home - from what I'd gathered, the fact that magic and magi existed appeared to be common knowledge.

"Then there are the different guild master leagues, which are local groups that work together. Then there are the individual masters," Mira tossed the magic marker in her hand absentmindedly as she explained, "it's their job to pass on the decrees of the council, and they also meet with each other on a regular basis. That's where master Makarov is at the moment," she giggled again, "I guess you could say they're the glue that holds us all together!"

I nodded, taking another bite of my food. I was liking this Era magic council more and more, especially considering the complete lack of trust and sense of paranoia that the system I'd learned about back home instilled, "I'd guess that would be one heck of a stressful job."

"Without a doubt," Lucy murmured, thoughtful, "I never realized that the guilds were that deeply connected to each other."

Mira flipped the pen in her hand again, "well, we have to cooperate with one another, otherwise our system would fall apart."

I raised my hand again, examining my fork, "that actually brings up my second question," I looked back at Mira as I took another bite, "what about the mages and guilds that go rogue?"

She nodded, taking out her pen again and drawing a circle that was separate from the diagram, "those would be the dark guilds," she capped her pen, "they've chosen not to join any guild leagues. They're the bad apples, and most of them are involved in magical crime."

I felt my eyes narrow, "and the magic council hasn't brought the hammer down on them?"

Mirajane brought her finger to her chin, scratching at it, "well... it isn't that simple. A lot of the dark guilds have gone into hiding, or aren't really on a level that's really of concern to the council, so they can be a little tough to find. Plus, a lot of the dark guilds have powerful wizards in them, making them highly dangerous once they're found or once they begin to make their move."

I nodded thoughtfully, taking another bite, "shoulda figured. Things are never that simple," I glanced back at the fight that had wrecked most of the tables, "should we try to stop them before they cause any more damage?"

She opened her mouth to answer when the front door slammed open with enough force to nearly crack the wall, stopping nearly everyone in their tracks. Whoever hadn't stopped immediately froze when they heard the scream that came not even a second afterwards, "THIS IS BAAAAAAD!"

The man in the door wore a green winter coat, with a fair complexion and light orange hair. His facial features were somewhat sharp, and he wore a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, but they failed to hide the look of utter terror that had crossed his face. He bowed his head slightly, gasping for breath before he spoke again, "it's Erza... she's back!"

With that, nearly everyone in the guild let out a shrill shriek of fear, Natsu and Gray included.

I glanced at Lucy, who appeared relatively unfazed by this new knowledge, and then at Happy, then at Mira, the both of whom simply looked on without a care in the world, their smiles never once slipping as the orange-haired man, the white-haired giant and several other people ran for the safety of the mens' restroom.

"That won't save them," Happy stated cheerfully, taking another bite of his fish.

"Um..." my murmur caught the attention of all three of them, "who is this... Erza?"

Lucy shook her head, "I've only heard of her, but I've never actually seen her in person yet. According to Natsu and Gray..." she took on a downcast look of fear, "she's supposed to be terrifying..."

I felt my eyes widen slightly before looking towards the open door. There was someone who could scare those two into submission!?

Happy took another bite out of his fish before speaking up again, "Erza's the strongest woman in all of Fairy Tail!"

I looked to Mira for confirmation, and she smiled, prompting me to look back at the entrance. The sound of heavy boots slamming into concrete began to reach my ears as the crowd began to murmur. A silhouette shaped like a gargantuan horn with a humanoid lower body took over the whole front entrance.

"Jeez... with these reactions, you'd think she was some kind of demon," Lucy stated, obviously shaken.

I bit at my lip slightly, taking a swig from my glass as the woman in question finally came into view.

I won't lie; the woman I saw was absolutely stunning, with long, dark crimson hair that reached to her middle back, parted on the side and framing either side of her face; storm gray eyes that swept throughout the room with purpose. She was reasonably tall, not much older than her late teens, and her entire torso from the waist up was encased in armour, complete with pauldrons, gauntlets, and the Fairy Tail symbol etched onto one side of the chest, covered by a large golden cross. From beneath her armour, a dark blue skirt reached down her thighs, and a pair of long black boots adorned her legs.

But that wasn't what got my attention.

What got my attention was the gargantuan horn that she was carrying. With one arm, she was hefting something that had to be at least four times her size and weight with such ease that she didn't even seemed fazed. She merely tilted her arm, letting it slam into the ground as soon as she had made it all the way into the center of the guild hall. When she spoke, she seemed to command the attention of absolutely everyone around her, "I have returned. Where is master Makarov?"

"Wow... she's pretty," Lucy stated, unable to take her eyes off of the woman.

Mira waved at her, "welcome back, Erza! Master Makarov is at a conference right now."

The now confirmed Erza nodded, "I see."

"So... what's that humongous thing you got there?" someone asked nervously within the crowd.

"It's the horn of a monster I defeated. The locals were so thankful that they decorated it and gave it to me as a souvenir," her eyes narrowed slightly, "do you have a problem with it?"

"NO, NOT AT ALL!" almost everyone shouted at once.

With that, people once again began to murmur.

"I bet she's heard what happened at Mt. Hakobe," the woman with the barrel in her grasp muttered to an older man with a long white coat and slicked back hair before returning to drinking.

He swallowed, fingering the S-shaped ornament that hung from his neck, "ya think so? Aw, man, I'm a goner..."

"Now listen up!" Erza barked, causing everyone to freeze in place, "while I was on the road, I heard a few things. Word is that Fairy Tail has been causing nothing but trouble as of late," her eyes narrowed again, "Master Makarov may not care, but I most certainly do," she turned to the woman with the barrel, snapping, "Cana!" immediately, the now proclaimed Cana froze up with fear, dropping the massive container as Erza finished, "you need to start controlling your drinking," she closed her eyes, and began listing off names, causing each individual to freeze up or flinch, "Vijeeter! Please take the dancing outside. Wakaba, get rid of that disgusting habit! Nab! I thought I'd find you dawdling in front of the request board. Just pick a job!"

"Macao!" she called out, causing the man with the long white coat to flinch, frozen in place, obviously waiting for her to say something. Eventually, though, she just sighed, causing the man to panic.

"Please, just say something!"

"Honestly..." she sighed, raising a hand to her forehead, "I just don't know where to begin with you. You cause so much trouble, I've almost given up."

It took me an instant to realize she was referring to the whole guild with that statement, rather than just Macao.

"Jeez..." I murmured, "she's like some kind of drill sergeant. Just ripping into everyone..." I shuddered slightly, "I'm surprised she's not making people do pushups."

"That's Erza for ya," Happy stated.

"Still..." Lucy started, "even if she's a little bossy, she's still saner than anyone else here," she glanced at me, "aside from you or me, anyways..."

I raised a hand, smiling slightly, trying to let her know that I'd taken no offense when Erza piped up again, "are Natsu and Gray here?"

Happy pointed, "aye!"

I followed his gaze, and will be shocked for all eternity by what I saw. Natsu and Gray stood side by side, an arm over each others' shoulders, their hands clasped in something that looked like an awkward handshake, their grip so tight that their knuckles were turning white. Each was absolutely covered in sweat, and were trying (and, if you were to ask me, failing miserably) to hide their utter terror with fake smiles. It was Gray who spoke first, "oh, hi, Erza! We're just hangin' out, like good friends tend to do!"

"Aye!" Natsu quickly agreed.

Immediately, Lucy began to panic, "why is Natsu talking like Happy!?"

Erza smiled, crossing her arms, a note of satisfaction entering her voice, "that's great. It's good to see the two of you getting along. Although, it's only natural for even the best of friends to lock horns every now and again."

"W-well... I wouldn't call us the best of friends..." Gray managed.

"Aye..." Natsu agreed.

I blinked, "what the heck has gotten into him?"

Mira smiled, having drawn several very bad pictures of a beaten up Natsu and a demonic looking Erza in the air, "he's scared. A few years ago, Natsu challenged Erza to a fight and got beat up pretty bad."

Lucy snorted, "well that was a stupid thing to do."

Macao grinned, "after that, she found Gray walking around naked and decided to beat him up too."

Cana followed up with her own two cents, gesturing at the orange-haired man as someone kicked him out of his hiding place, "and let's not forget when she beat up Loke for trying to hit on her," she snorted with barely suppressed laughter, "he totally deserved it though."

"Can't say I blame her," Lucy nodded.

"Natsu, Gray, I want to ask you a favor," Erza stated, immediately getting their attention, her smile gone, "while traveling, I overheard something that has me worried. While normally I would consult the guild master before taking action, he is not here, and this is a matter of utmost urgency," by now, Natsu and Gray had let go of each other, giving their utmost attention to Erza no longer out of fear, but a mix of interest and concern, "you two are the strongest wizards here. I could really use your help."

With that, the two stared at each other, unblinking, obviously coming to the same conclusion as the surrounding crowd returned to muttering.

"We'll meet at the train station tomorrow morning," Erza dictated.

"Natsu and Gray, on the same team?" I murmured again.

"If it were anyone aside from Erza making that request, I'd say it was impossible," Mirajane stated, "but this... Natsu, Gray, and Erza," her smile was replaced by a look of wonder, "that could be the strongest team Fairy Tail has ever seen!"

Natsu and Gray finally broke their gaze from one another to look back at Erza, and then nodded. With that, the groups dispersed, and Erza left the room.

I looked down at my plate, and began to eat again, my mind ablaze with thoughts.

I'd learned a lot today. I'd seen what the people here were like. I'd learned about the society the wizards had.

And as crazy as it sounds, my distrust of them was beginning to wear away, far faster than what I'd ever expected.

As I picked up my cup to finish my drink, I once again caught sight of my Command Seal. I idly wondered if I still had control over Berserker before I stiffened, not out of pain, but because an idea had simply surged forth in my mind, glowing like a brand.

I glanced at Lucy, noting the location of her guild mark on her hand as I slowly set my drink back down, and returned to studying my Command Seal.

If I were to do this... if I were to actually put my idea forth...

But I still couldn't be entirely sure if I could trust these people or not...

So what would be the best way to find out if I could?

I once again glanced throughout the room, taking note of where Natsu, Gray, and Erza all were. The three of them were all off on their own in different areas of the room, Natsu talking with Happy, Gray getting another drink, and Erza daintily eating a meal that Mira had just delivered to her.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard Mira say something to Lucy, "Natsu and Gray are going to be at each others' throats whenever Erza's not looking, so I want you to be there in order to stop them, okay?"

"Wh- me!?" she shouted in protest.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I felt my face split into a grin.

If I played my cards right here, I'd be well on my way to finding out if I could really trust the people here, and seeing if they really were different from the mages I'd known.

"Speaking of..." I started, absently playing with my fork, "you don't think they'd mind if I tagged along, do you?"

The both of them blinked, caught well off guard by my words.

"What do you mean, Kariya?" Mira asked.

"Well..." I had to choose my words carefully, "for one thing, I'm not that familiar with the whole 'wizard jobs' thing. So I thought this might be a good opportunity to get some firsthand experience."

Mira nodded, a sign for me to continue.

"Plus, I have a feeling I might be able to help with the whole 'Natsu and Gray trying to murder each other whenever Erza's not around' issue," I took another bite, "I'm good with kids. And when they're around each other, Natsu and Gray basically have the mentality of six year old twins. Given that, I might not be able to scare them into submission like Erza, but I might be able to play mediator for a bit while she's gone."

Lucy cut in, "Kariya, you said yourself you shouldn't be moving around. The fact that someone as powerful as Erza is asking Natsu and Gray for help scares me. This has the potential to be extremely dangerous."

I laughed heartily for a good ten seconds before making my counter, "hey, I'm going to have three of Fairy Tail's most powerful wizards around, right? I'm not worried. Besides," I raised my hand, staring at my Command Seal once again, "if my hunch is right... I might not be in the best physical shape at the moment..." I gave a reassuring smile, "but I am far from helpless."

Mira nodded several times, then smiled, "alright then. I'll talk to Erza about letting you come along, Kariya."

Lucy stood, "Mira, you can't be serious-!"

But Mirajane was already gone, walking briskly to Erza's table.

I gave a slight smile before taking another drink.

Things were looking up.

* * *

Stat Sheet: Kariya Matou

(These stats are based around that of a normal human; Servant stats and/or boosts do not come into play here. For example, E-rank strength is about equal to the average adult human; D would be someone who works out frequently; C would be someone who does minor competitions; B would be wrestlers and weightlifters in major competitions; A would be the world champ in terms of raw power. And so on for the other stats.)

Strength: E-

Endurance: C

Agility: E-

Mana: ? (not properly measured as of yet)

Luck: D

Noble Phantasm: None

Abilities:

Crest Worms

Command Seal (Is it just there? Or does he indeed have control over Berserker?)


End file.
